Poll: Growing number of Americans support marijuana legalization, including Republicans

A record high number of respondents to a Gallup poll released Wednesday said they support the legalization of marijuana, including more than half of Republicans polled.

Overall, 64 percent of those reached by Gallup said they support the legalization of marijuana, up 4 percentage points from October 2016. The percentage of Gallup respondents who support legalization has climbed consistently since 2012, when 48 percent of those polled said they supported it.

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Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but the drug has been legalized by eight states and the District of Columbia. Many other states allow marijuana use for medicinal purposes under laws with varying degrees of strictness.

Of the Republicans reached by Gallup’s poll, 51 percent said they support legalization, a 9-point increase relative to last year. It is the first time that a majority of Republicans have expressed support for marijuana legalization in Gallup polling.

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The Gallup poll was conducted from Oct. 5 to Oct. 11, reaching 1,017 adults, via landlines and cellphones, in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. The margin of error for the poll’s full sample size was plus or minus 4 percentage points.